Historically rich Agroha in poor civic state

Deepender Deswal

Hisar, June 7

Agroha village, which is famous as a dham (religious place) for the Vaish community in the country, has been facing several civic problems like the lack of drainage system, water and power shortage.

Water not fit for consumption

Not only is there a shortage of water for irrigation in the fields, residents are unable to get potable water supply. The supply by the Public Health Engineering Department is not fit for consumption due to leakage in the pipelines which results in contamination of the water — Bajrang Das Garg, president, Agroha Dham Vaish community

Historical significance

• The remains of the ancient city Agroha are buried under mounds here. An excavation exercise started here in 1978 to 1981 and it was declared a centrally protected monument of national importance.
• It is an early historical site covering the stages of history from 4th century BCE to the 14th century CE. Significant ruins, having evidences of the capital of the Agroha state (which was the capital of Maharaja Agrasen, the famous king of the Agrawal community) are buried in the mounds.
• The archaeological site of Agroha (in pic) is located on the outskirts of the present-day Agroha village in Hisar.

A meeting of the Agroha Dham Vaish community, under the chairmanship of its national president Bajrang Das Garg, was held in Agroha village recently. Representatives of the community raised the issue of the lack of drainage system and acute shortage of electricity and water in Agroha village.

Garg said there was a severe shortage of electricity and water in Agroha. “Not only is there a shortage of water for irrigation in the fields, residents are unable to get potable water supply. The supply by the Public Health Engineering Department is not fit for consumption due to leakage in the pipelines which results in contamination of the water,” he said.

Garg said residents had been falling ill due to the poor quality of drinking water. Garg said in view of the scorching heat, the government should ensure arrangements for electricity and water and supply clean drinking water from the canal. He said the Agroha dham was a religious spot where a number of people visit daily, but the civic problems such as broken roads and lack of drainage system have been a turn-off for the visitors.

Raj Kumar, a local resident, said a drain constructed to take out rainwater was constructed by spending crores of rupees, but all such drains were now completely blocked. “With the rainy season ahead, Agroha gets flooded even when there is little rain. There is no arrangement for water drainage in Agroha and the roads are completely broken,” he said. “In view of the rainy season, the government should clean the rain drains with immediate effect and make complete arrangements for the drainage of rainwater,” he said.

Garg also demanded a special package for the development of Agroha for the upgrade of the basic facilities.

Notably, the state government’s Department of Archaeology and Museums and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop a historical site in Agroha village.

Atma Ram Bhukkal, the sarpanch of the village, said the village had a population of about 20,000. “The gram panchayat had been raising their issues with the district administration, he said. “The village is grappling with water shortage, drainage problems and an incomplete service road on the national highway, which has become an accident-prone area,” he said.